Moisture separator



July 10, 1956 TINKER 2,753,954

MOISTURE SEPARATOR Filed July 21,1953

Q l l 30\S- 2 TOWNSEND T/NKER 29 INVENTOR.

F/G.Z By

m C M HIS ATmRNf Y United States Patent MOISTURE SEPARATOR Townsend Tinker, Orchard Park, N. Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application July 21, 1953, Serial No. 369,375

1 Claim. (Cl. 183-92) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in heat exchangers and more particularly to a cooling type heat exchanger having a moisture separator combined therewith.

In the artof heat exchangers there has been developed a type of tube and shell heat exchanger which is particularly adapted for cooling of air or gases between stages in multistage compressor equipment. In compressor cooling equipment of this type, it has been found that the cooling of compressed gases or air will cause moisture in the air or gases to be condensed out and at least partially carried with the gases as entrained liquid droplets. In compressor coolers of this type, it is therefore necessary to provide some means for removing entrained liquid droplets from the compressed air or gases to prevent damage to the next compressor in the multistage compressor equipment.

It is therefore one object of this invention to provide a new and improved heat exchanger having a combined moisture separator therein.

Another object is to provide a heat exchanger having a combined moisture separator which is simple in construction and is positioned in the air outlet from the cooler for removing entrained liquid droplets.

Another object is to provide a new and improved moisture separator which can be easily used in connection with standard cooling equipment.

Another object is to provide a new and improved combined heat exchanger and moisture separator which is simply and inexpensively manufactured and assembled.

Other objects will become apparent from time to time throughout the specification and claim as hereinafter set forth.

This invention comprises the new and improved construction and combination of parts which will be described more fully hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, to be taken as a part of this specification, there is clearly and fully illustrated a preferred embodiment of this invention, in which drawmgs:

Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal central section showing a compressor cooler having a combined moisture separator therein, and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing in more detail the moisture separator.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown a heat exchanger or cooler 1 comprising an outer tubular casing 2 having a tubular flanged air inlet 3 and a tubular air outlet member 4. The casing 2 has ribs 5 and 6 at opposite ends thereof and a central rib 7. The casing 2 has an inner shell 8 which is supported on the ribs 5, 6, and 7 and spaced thereby from the walls of the casing. The casing 2 has an end wall member 9 and a curved wall member 10 which are cooperable to form a header for a plurality of heat exchange tubes 11 which are supported 2,753,954 Patented July 10, 1956 at one end by the wall member 9. The wall member 10 has a dividing wall 12 extending therefrom which divides the header into inlet and outlet portions 13 and 14, respectively. The casing wall member 10 is provided with a fluid inlet 15 and a fluid outlet 16 for conducting a heat exchange fluid through the tubes 11. The tubes 11 are supported at their other ends by a wall member 17 which has a hollow wall member 18 cooperable therewith to provide a chamber 19 for reversing the flow of fluid from the inlet header portion 13 to the outlet header portion 14. The inner casing or shell 8 has a plurality of tube support plates 20 therein, which are positioned to function as baffles to direct the flow of compressed air or gas back and forth across the heat exchange tubes 11. The inner casing or shell 8 has an inlet opening 21 adjacent the inlet 3 of the casing 2 for admitting compressed air or gas for circulation over the heat exchange tubes. The inner casing 8 has an outlet opening 22 adjacent the outlet member 4 at which point the gases are discharged from the inner casing and pass out through the outer casing outlet. The inner casing 8 is provided with one or more apertures 23 for draining condensed liquid which may accumulate at the bottom of this casing. The end wall 18 of the inner casing or shell 8 is provided with a drain 24 which extends out through the end wall 25 of the outer casing 2.

The tubular outlet member 4 has its upper end secured to the bottom wall portion of the outer casing 2 and has an annular wall member 26 closing its lower end portion. The wall member 26 has a tubular conduit 27 secured therein which extends upward into the tubular outlet member 4. The lower end 28 of the conduit member 27 is provided with a flange 29 for connecting the cooler to other equipment. The tubular member 4 is provided with a plurality of abutment members 30 secured to the inner walls thereof, which support a separator member 31. The separator member 31 comprises an inverted cup shaped member 33 which has its open end supported on the abutment members 30. The cup shaped member 33 has a plurality of helical vanes 34 thereon which fit against the inner Walls of the tubular member 4. The cup shaped member 33 is slightly larger than the conduit member 27 and has its lower edge 35 extending below the upper end 36 of the conduit member 27. The tubular outlet member 4 has a drain opening 37 at the lower end thereof adjacent the lower wall 26 which is provided with a threaded plug 38 which may be removed for draining accumulated liquid. The tubular outlet member 4 is also provided with a suitable visual tube water level gage 39 which has upper and lower threaded connections to the member 4 as indicated at 40 and 41.

Operation In operation this apparatus functions generally as follows:

The heat exchanger 1 is normally positioned horizontally with the inlet 3 extending upward and the outlet 4 extending downward. A cooling liquid is introduced through the fluid inlet 15 and inlet header 13 and is circulated through the upper heat exchange tubes 11 to the end chamber or header portion 19. At the end header portion 19 the liquid reverses its direction of flow and flows back through the lower heat exchange tubes 11 to the outlet header 14 and out through the fluid outlet 16. Compressed air or gases from a compressor is brought in through the air inlet 3 and enters the inner casing or shell 8 through its inlet opening 21. The compressed air circulates (as indicated by the directional arrows) back and forth across the heat exchange tubes under the influence of the various tube support baflle members 20. When the compressed air reaches the inner casing outlet 22 it passes into the space between the inner and outer casings and is discharged out through the outlet member. 4. The compressed air is prevented from bypassing the heat exchange tubes by the central rib 7. In the process of cooling the compressed air or gases, a substantial: quantity of water droplets may be formed in the gases whichcould. damage the next compressor in the series of compressors. The cooled compressed air or gas, which is discharged from the inner casing outlet 22, passes into the annular space between the cup shaped separator member 33 andv the tubular member outlet 4. In this annular space the gas is given a rotary motion by the helical vanes 34 which tends to separate entrained liquid droplets by centrifugal forces When the compressed, gas discharges from the annular space between. the cup shaped member 33 and the tubular member 4, it reverses its direction and flows upwardbetween the conduit 27 and the inside of' the cup shaped member 33 and then again reverses its direction to flow out through the conduit member 27.. This: reversal of direction of air flow provides a further separation of liquid droplets due to the inertia, of movement of said droplets which tends to force the droplets to continue their previous line of movement. The vane members 34 and the cup shaped member 33, which fits over the upper end of the conduit 27 and causes the aforementioned reversal of movement, are operable to separate out substantially all of the entrained water droplets in the compressed. air or gas. The water which is separated out of the compressed air or gas collects in the annular space at the bottom of the tubular outlet member 4. The outlet member 4 is provided with. a visual tube gage 39 which indicates the level of liquid therein, Whenever the liquid level reaches an excessive amount, the outlet plug 38 is removed and the liquid allowed to drain through the outlet drain opening 37.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A moisture separator. comprising a vertically disposed.

tubular member having a wall. closing the lower end thereof, supporting members extending radially into said tubular member, a tubular conduit extending through said wall into said tubular member and terminating above said supporting members, an inverted cup shaped member supported on said supporting members within said tubular member and having a plurality of helical vanes fitting against the inner wall of said tubular member, said cup shaped member having its end wall spaced above said tubular conduit and being positioned with its open end spaced from and extending below the upper end of said conduit, and said. cup shaped member and vanes being operable to impart a turbulent and rotary motion to air flowing through said separator to'effect a reversal of direction of air flow and to remove entrained liquid therefrom.

References Cited: in the tile. of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 548,490 Weck et al. Oct. 22, 1895 576,646 Alliree Feb. 9, 1897 612,207 Kincaid et al. Oct. 11, 1828' 1,623,798 Limont Apr. 5, 192.7 1,831,337 Bennett Nov. 10, 1931 1,843,091 Bull Ian. 26, 1932 1,909,227 Shadle May 16, 1933 210101456 Jones Aug. 6, 1935 2,087,411 Lund'quist' July 20,. 1937 2,514,894 Naab July 11, 1950 FQR EIGN PATENTS 108,397 Australia Aug. 25, 1939 368,600 Great Britain of 1932 

